Winrock International is a nonprofit organization that works with people in the United States and around the world to empower the disadvantaged, increase economic opportunity, and sustain natural resources. By linking local individuals and communities with new ideas and technology, Winrock is increasing long-term productivity, equity, and responsible resource management to benefit the poor and disadvantaged of the world.

 

PROGRAM SUMMARY:

Winrock International (WI) is currently recruiting for the position of a Finance Director in its Auki project office to support the five-year, USAID-funded Solomon Islands Strengthening Competitiveness, Agriculture, Livelihoods, and Environment – Natural Resource Management (SCALE-NRM) Program. The SCALE-NRM Program will foster conservation economies at a community scale that provide opportunities for income generation from NRM and drive provincial and national government commitment to natural resource governance. As USAID’s flagship NRM initiative in the Solomon Islands, SCALE-NRM will pave the way for future USAID investments in promoting competitive, sustainable, and inclusive economic development.

 

SCALE-NRM has three objectives:

• Promote a people-centered approach to resource governance, which will leverage the traditional connection among Solomon Islanders and a track record of communities organizing themselves around specific opportunities
• Strengthen markets for conservation through provincial and community-driven schemes that ensure communities have options to pursue alternative livelihoods and participate in diversified economic opportunities from environmental conservation
• Build the capacity of government in implementing a holistic, ecosystem-wide approach to NRM, which includes ecosystem health, land-use, climate change adaption, and economic development

 

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Finance Director will provide senior level leadership to the SCALE-NRM finance team, ensuring an internal culture of accountability, efficiency and compliance. The position will be responsible for instituting internal controls over the receipt, disbursement, and management of resources; ensuring timely, accurate and compliant processing of financial transactions by finance team members; identifying and implementing process improvements based on constant analysis of financial performance. A successful candidate will be highly motivated and ambitious, and have the following combination of essential skills and experience:

• Experience working with organizations with a strong culture of financial discipline and compliance, with strong financial systems and processes in place.
• 10 years of experience in financial management, and at least 5 years’ leadership experience providing supervision and quality control to finance teams
• Experience creating, instituting, and adapting workflows and processes to optimize financial performance.

 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Responsible for overseeing and maintaining internal controls over the receipts, disbursements, and management of Winrock resources in compliance with Winrock and USAID rules and regulations.
• Administer the financial system to ensure the Project’s finances are maintained in an accurate and timely manner. This includes reviewing reports generated from QuickBooks ensuring transaction descriptions, GL codes, project codes are accurate.
• Oversee and institutes quality control/assurance processes of all accounting records, including travel advances and all invoices, and assure proper allocation of expenditures to funding source and expense categories.
• Ensure implementation of processes for accurate and timely payments of vendors and other services or goods in accordance with USAID and Winrock policies and procedures.
• Oversee the development, monitoring and analysis of activity and project budgets that allow accurate projection of expenditures and comparisons of actual and budgets.
• Responsible for managing cash and cash requirements, and affecting the transfer of project funds to field accounts based on forecast and funds request to ensure fund availability at all time.
• Review all vouchers prepared by the finance team (disbursement, receipt, and general journal vouchers) for expenditures and ensures that expenses are reasonable, allowable, and allocable to the project.
• Ensure the timely and accurate submission of the weekly and monthly reporting package to Winrock’s Regional and Home offices, in accordance with Winrock and USAID contractual requirements; responsible for ensuring timely resolution of review feedback/comments; accurate and complete uploading of financial documents to Official Project Filing System in SharePoint.
• Produce quarterly budget projections and reports for submission to USAID.
• Manages banking relationships ensuring bank account signatories are in accordance with Winrock’s corporate banking policies approved by the Board.
• Advise project leadership and home office staff on financial health through the provision of regular and timely financial expenditure reports.
• Manage internal and external audits, including donor-audits; ensuring financial files and support are available during annual audits; ensures audit findings are resolved in a timely
• Ensure consistency and compliance with Winrock standard operating procedures, policies, and accounting principles, and USAID rules and regulations.
• Ensure compliance with taxation and other local laws and regulations.
• Liaise with the COP to ensure the project needs are being met in terms of accounting, contracts, and human resources.
• Provide direction, coaching and quality control to finance team members, ensuring coordination, communication and efficiency optimization within the team.
• Attendance to monthly regional meetings of finance community of practice

 

QUALIFICATIONS AND BACKGROUND:

• Education:
  • B.S. or equivalent university degree in Finance, Business Administration, or related field. Certified Public Accountant or Licensed Chartered Accountant preferred.
• Work Experience:
  • A minimum of 10 years’ progressive experience in all aspects of financial management.
  • At least 5 years’ leadership experience providing supervision and quality control to finance teams, preferably of complex, multifaceted USAID funded programs.
  • Proven experience providing mentorship, capacity building and performance improvement guidance to finance, operations, and technical team members on financial processes and compliance.
  • Demonstrated track record of enforcing internal controls.
  • Experience creating, instituting, and adapting workflows and processes to optimize financial performance.
  • Experience leading seamless coordination and communication between technical, procurement, grants, logistics and finance teams on financial matters.
  • Expert-level understanding of bookkeeping and accounting; and strong understanding of local labor and taxation laws, local compliance and reporting requirements.
  • Experience working with organizations with a strong culture of financial discipline and compliance, with strong financial systems and processes in place. Experience in managing accounts for donor funded projects strongly preferred.
• Skills:
  • Proficient user of Quick Books or similar accounting platforms

 

The deadline for submission of applications is May 08, 2024. However, applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and Winrock reserves the right to make an offer prior to the closing date for applications. Applicants are thus encouraged to submit their applications at the earliest opportunity. Only qualified applicants will be invited for an interview.

 

Winrock is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunity for all people and value diversity and inclusiveness. Winrock recruits, employs, trains, promotes and compensates regardless of race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, family care status, or any other basis protected by law.

At Winrock we have a clear mission: Empower the disadvantaged, increase economic opportunity and sustain natural resources through unwavering dedication to accountability, equity, innovation, integrity and transformation.

Winrock knows that its success comes from the hard work and steadfast dedication of its diverse workforce. Winrock remains committed to maintaining diversity, inclusion and equity across the entire organization.